Los Angeles-based Groundwork Coffee specializes in sourcing from certified organic farms. Yet, organic farming is actually on the decline in coffee, says Jeffrey Chean, Chief Coffee Guy and Partner at Groundwork.
“I began noticing this around the time the Rust disease began spreading throughout Central America,” he says. “Aside from the clear interest we have in making sure there is a supply of organic coffee to roast, we believe that becoming a certified farm, coupled with sustainable farming methods, helps improve growers lives by reducing their personal exposure to harmful pesticides, increasing yields, and keeping their land fertile.”
But organic is not enough, he adds. “The coffee has to taste good, too, or no one is going to want to buy it certified or otherwise.”
Groundwork supports AMUCC to help more farmers produce organic coffee. Every year they highlight certain growers who produce an exceptionally tasting coffee.
To encourage growers to produce great tasting organic coffee, Groundwork introduced the Quality Award for exemplary micro-lots. This year, it was given to two sisters, Argenis and Bertha Rosas, who are able to farm and operate their own micro-lots through AMUCC, a women’s cooperative located near the Cauca River in Colombia. The program, supported by Groundwork, provides a premium to convert conventional farms into organic. But the conversion process can take three years; AMUCC helps cover the costs during the conversion process.
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